Qantas outlines new Asian strategy

Qantas plans to broaden the number of destinations it flies to in Asia as part of its new alliance with Emirates.

The Australian carrier on Monday outlined its new four-phase strategy for the Asian market.

The new destinations being considered include Beijing, Seoul, Mumbai, Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda.

Qantas also plans to provide more frequent flights to Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as change the time of those flights and increase capacity on those routes.

The airline says it hopes to expand its network within Asia by working with local partners such as Japan Airlines, China Eastern, Jet Airways, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines.

Qantas says the improvements to its Asian services will begin on March 31 and be rolled out in four phases.

Qantas International chief executive Simon Hickey says the changes mean Qantas' services to Asia are no longer tied to onward links to Europe.

"The number of dedicated seats on Qantas services to Hong Kong and Singapore is increasing significantly, because capacity previously set aside for customers going to Europe via these hubs can be freed up," he said in a statement.

"The joint Qantas-Emirates network into Asia gives our customers a fresh set of options, including double daily services to Singapore from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane."

From March 31, Qantas will increase capacity on flights to Hong Kong and Singapore by between 10 per cent and 40 per cent, respectively.

More flights would also be available on the Qantas-Emirates network.

Qantas will also schedule earlier arrival times into Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore, with flights brought forward by up to three hours to increase the number of onward connections.

Customers will also be able to fly to Kuala Lumpur on the combined Qantas-Emirates network.

However, Qantas will reduce services between Perth and Singapore services to one a day.

It will also cancel its Adelaide-Singapore and Perth-Hong Kong services.

However, flights between Brisbane and Hong Kong will rise to seven a week from four, and daily services between Sydney and Singapore will start in June.

Qantas has also brought forward the end date for its loss-making Frankfurt services by six months to April 15.

Qantas shares were down one cent at $1.53 at 1023 AEDT.

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